When the Lake Artists Society held its first exhibition in 1905 it featured almost exclusively Lakeland landscapes. Its first president Hubert Coutts encouraged members to deliver work that would appeal to visitors who “naturally looked for some relation between the choice of subjects and the name of the society”.

In time, that requirement has become redundant; it would be to ignore the variety of high quality art created in Cumbria today. Traditional work is still an important part of its cannon and can still be seen at the society’s annual exhibition, but as long as the artists live in Cumbria and attain the quality standards required then there is no restriction on subject matter nor indeed medium. Today’s members can be sculptors, printers, ceramicists or painters; what they share is peer-judged excellence.

The Lake Artists Society (LAS) was founded in 1904 by artist and historian William Gershom Collingwood who was secretary to the writer, philosopher and art critic John Ruskin, of Coniston.

Collingwood organised an inaugural exhibition in 1904 in Coniston with 25 artists showing 200 works. President Rachel Gibson explains that an art critic from the Yorkshire Post was probably the first to coin the phrase ‘The Lake Artists’ for the group.

It encouraged Collingwood to invited those who had exhibited at Coniston to a meeting with the purpose of establishing a new art society, with work of the highest quality being a priority from the outset.

The earliest members included Cuthbert Rigby, Fred Yates and the Tucker brothers, Arthur, Frederic and Hubert, who took the name Coutts to differentiate himself from the rest of his family, who were all born in the mid-1800s.

Sculpture by Mark Gibbs

Subsequent early shows moved to different venues, then, in 1921, New Hall in Grasmere became the Summer Exhibition’s permanent and spiritual home.

It is the longest established event in the Cumbrian arts calendar ??? attracting over 10,000 visitors each year. It was cancelled only by the Second World War (for four years) and once due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The following year it could not take place at its regular venue when the New Hall became a vaccination centre; instead Rheged stepped in to host the show featuring 260 works by artists from across Cumbria.

Over the years the drive for quality – the society being a true representation of the range of local talent – included generations of the Heaton Cooper art family, whose name lives on in Grasmere today, Frank Bramley, Sir William Russell Flint and Julius Olsson among its membership. Among other names to be associated with the group are Cannon Hardwicke Rawnsley, Sheila Fell, Kurt Schwitters and Ophelia Gordon Bell.

In 2004 the society produced a book, The Lake Artists Society, a centenary celebration, documenting its history. Rachel says: “What had started out as a practical endeavour, combined with a sense of idealistic purpose, has continued to be an annual event which holds prime place in our Cumbrian cultural calendar.

“The members today are proof of the society's strength, and they maintain the ethos which has held firmly over the last 120 years. What unites them is a powerful engagement with their surroundings and their time.”

This year’s anniversary has been marked with the publication of a special brochure featuring all 45 current members.

Vice-president Ceri Allen explains: “The idea was to produce the brochure to commemorate 120 years of the LAS with images of the work and a personal statement from each of the membership. It’s a bit different to what we tend to do with our exhibition catalogues, it’s a unique publication.”

Interior, oil on board, Ceri Allen

The anniversary brochure is on sale at various galleries across the county and will be available at this year’s Summer Exhibition which opens on July 28 and runs until September 4.

The special anniversary has also been marked with the Secret Art Show, an exhibition that toured from Keswick to Kendal with members of the society submitting compact disc-size pieces of art for sale at £50 each, each unlabelled but signed on the back by the artist.

“The idea of having two Secret Art Shows – at Northern Lights Gallery, in Keswick, and Youdells Arts Shop, in Kendal – was to spread ourselves around the county more for people who might never have come to the Summer Exhibition in Grasmere, and also to show the variety of work our members produce.”

For a membership society to last as long as LAS has is an achievement. Rarely do groups continue once founder members have moved on or, in the case of LAS, long since died.

Ceri puts its survival and longevity down to the commitment of its members and the fact that the society is run by artists, with its council making decisions for the year to come. It has maintained its independence from sponsorship and is financially self-sufficient.

The council’s membership changes every two years which ensures different voices have a chance to contribute and keep things fresh. Current council members – led by president Rachel Gibson and Ceri – are David Cemmick, Jacqui Bassett, Geoff Cox, Angie Mitchell and Janette Phillips.

The nature of art too ensures it is always evolving; inspiration, ideas, styles being a constantly evolving discipline, not to mention more than a century of cultural and artistic changes, wars and economic crises to which artists have responded or been influenced by.

Sculpture by Danny Clahane

“The work has changed over the years, it’s more contemporary now and covers a wide range of styles,” says Ceri. “We’ve still got very traditional work and other artists whose work responds to the current time, for instance David Cemmick is currently addresses concerns about the environment.”

Most importantly, the society has always been motivated by quality with members approved by their admiring peers, acceptance regarded as both a privilege and endorsement. Ceri adds: “The quality of the work has definitely contributed to the society’s longevity and the selection process.”

In the early years the exhibitions consisted of work only by members and other notable invited artists who were largely painters.

Now other artists can apply to show at the Summer Exhibition which may lead to an invitation to become a member for those whose work is considered high enough quality. Awards may be presented too to artists of merit.

An invitation to join the society is recognition and, by limiting membership to just 50 artists who live in Cumbria, it remains an exclusive club, albeit one that is keen to share and welcome and support new talent.

For anyone who wants to get a picture of Cumbria art in all its variety and skill, the Lake Artists Society is as good a place as anywhere to find it.

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The Lake Artists Society Summer Exhibition, at New Hall, Grasmere, runs from Sunday July 28-Wednesday September 4.

It is open every day 10.30am-4.30pm and admission is £2.

lakeartists.org.uk